Olympia

We docked at Katakolon, Greece one day and Brad and I took a taxi in to ancient Olympia while Fiona stayed back on the boat with Broderick. What a cool place to see. The ruins were a huge site. It was neat to see where the original olympics were held. They have been around since the 8th century BC.

Here's Brad holding up pillars from the gymnasium, where athletes would practice.

Here I am to the entrance of the stadium.

Here is the stadium. On the right side you can see a square formation where there was chairs for the judges, but the rest of the people sat on the grass. There was room for 45,000 spectators. I thought it was interesting the track wasn't one like we see now, but just a straight shot.

Brad crossing the finish line with Anika on his chest. They still have the original start and finish lines.
On my mark, get set, GO .....

There were many races going on between people there. The lenth was just over 192 meters long. People were pretty tired by the time they got to the finish line! That is a long way to sprint if you haven't been training. And it was VERY hot that day.

This is Hera's Alter where the olympic flame is lit for the olympic games. It is lit by women playing the role of "priestesses". They would light the flame using the sunlight and a mirror.


Next stop ... Croatia!